The Village and its solid waste contractor, Groot Industries, recently provided kitchen pails and BioBags to approximately 300 homeowners in the Fox Point subdivision of Barrington. BioBags are made from renewable materials and are 100 percent recyclable. Residents will add their food waste to their outdoor landscape waste and set it at the curb on Fridays for pick-up.

SWANCC reports that food waste makes up about 8 percent of what we throw away. By combining food and landscape wastes, a compost can be created for use in landscaping projects. It will also reduce the amount of garbage that goes into the landfill and reduce the cost of treating food waste from home garbage disposals.

Foods accepted include bread, cereal, pasta, grains, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, dairy products, egg shells, fruit, meat, fish, bones and vegetables. There is no cost to the residents or the Village to participate in this program.

While residential food waste collection for recycling is already done in many European countries, only a handful of U.S. states have tried it. The curbside-pickup pilot program in Barrington is scheduled to go through November.

“All parties involved are excited to be part of this first-time residential collection program in Illinois that captures and reuses nutrient-rich food waste to enhance soil, rather than sending it to a landfill,” said Mary Allen, SWANCC’s Recycling and Education Director.

For more information on this program, call the Barrington Public Works Department at (847) 381-7903.